TOKYO, Japan -- The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) continues its marketing and promotional efforts a month after reopening to international leisure travelers, this time setting its sights on potential visitors from a major source market- Japan.
Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat led the Philippine delegation to Japan to engage with the latter’s tourism stakeholders and promote the country as a safe travel destination in the new normal.
Japan has consistently been the Philippines’ fourth-biggest tourism source market prior to the pandemic. In 2019, the country recorded 682,788 tourists from Japan. Since the country’s reopening last February 10, the Philippines welcomed 2,125 leisure travelers from Japan as of March 20, 2022.
During the delegation's official trip in Japan, Puyat met with Japanese travel agents, tour operators, tourism organizations, English studies operators, economic federations, as well as Japanese media from Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
Some of the notable participants included STWorld; Japan Association of Travel Agents; JTB Corp; Japan Travel and Tourism Association; Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd; Kansai Economic Federation; and the Japan Philippine Tourism Council.
The tourism chief highlighted, among others, the country's low COVID-19 cases, the high vaccination rate of tourism workers, compliance with global safety and hygiene protocols, and simplified entry requirements and process. She assured Japanese tourism stakeholders that the DOT will continue to provide marketing support including that of chartered flights to the Philippines.
Secretary Puyat also introduced a program to entice fully vaccinated Japanese travelers who have yet to receive their booster jabs by providing COVID-19 vaccine booster shots at popular tourist destinations in the country. This will enable Japanese tourists to go back to Japan without having to do quarantine.
“Like other tourism ministries, the Philippines Department of Tourism exhausted all possible efforts to revive the industry, primarily to restore jobs and rebuild revenue streams. Now, we are glad to see the fruits of our labor after nearly two years of preparations to push for the recovery of the sector,” the tourism chief said.